Have you ever found yourself working extra but not getting paid for it?

I don’t mean over delivering by adding extra value and delighting your clients. I’m ALL for that. In fact I highly recommend frequently delighting your clients!

What I’m talking about is the dreaded… (Cue the spooky music)

Scope Creep…

Or the

Over-needy client who wants “just one more little thing”.

Ever happen to you?

If you’re in business – of course it has! Scope creep can be a natural byproduct of many different kinds of projects (think: design, tech projects, and construction just to name a few). Wanting “one more thing” can be a sign of someone who is thinking through their requirements as they go.

Neither of these things is inherently bad.It’s what you do with them that set you up for success or a spiral of resentment, misery, and lack of cash.

Here are the top 3 reasons why you may find yourself working like a dog but earning less and less and what to do about it.

Rest & Relaxation (R&R) is not just a luxury for the well-to-do. It is essential to our well-being and is truly not optional. It is the lifeblood that keeps us sharp mentally and physically while giving our creative juices time to rejuvenate.

When I say R&R, what picture or words come to mind? Do you see R&R only as being a lavish vacation or available only to the “ladies who lunch”? Do you hear some authority figure yelling at you that you’re lazy, unproductive, and will never amount to anything? Do you simply see your to-do list growing if you even contemplate “relaxing”?

You wouldn’t think of running your car nonstop without preventative maintenance, turning it off at night, or stopping for fuel. If you did, it’d break down and simply stop functioning. So, what makes you think your body and mind should be any different and be expected to trudge on constantly? [Read more…]

Have you ever tried to chase a flock of ducks and get them to do what you want?

There you are in your weekend best sweatpants running with Kennedy flair at the park saying:

“Here Donald line up behind your friend Daffy and by all means behave!”

How did that go?

More importantly… do you have a video of that? (I am certain it will go viral on YouTube and make you an online legend).

Silly, right? Yet I can’t tell you the number of times I hear business owners say that just as soon as you:

Organize your house, office, and papers.

Figure out your brand (in isolation) as you agonize over your business name and logo (which, by the way is not your brand, only one representation of it) while being adamant about having to learn more about websites.

Sort out your business model, plan, and projections to the 9th decimal place.

THEN, you’ll be ready.

Except, as soon as THEN arrives, there will be another list of 10,000 things that need attending.

When you make requests of your staff does it feel like it falls on deaf ears?

Do you find yourself performing tasks your staff is responsible for because if you don’t do it, no one will?

You are not alone.

I frequently hear from clients that they are hopelessly frustrated and cannot figure out how to get people (their employees) to do what they want.

This is not ok.

Repeat after me:

It is NOT ok if the people you are paying to do a job are not doing their jobs.

You are the business owner.

You are the one paying their salary (and benefits).

You are the one assuming the risk of running the enterprise.

Being abused by your staff is not part of the bargain.

If your staff is ignoring your requests or defiantly thumbing their nose at your authority, something is wrong. The longer you put up with it, the worse it gets. It is akin to letting the inmates run the asylum (though lets hope your business doesn’t feel like an asylum!).

If you want to experience a blatant disregard for your requests and outright indifference, adopt a cat. (I may be a cat lover, but I am clear who is REALLY in charge in my house!)

In my professional career I have encountered a few schools of thought on what it takes to be successful and achieve.

Predominantly it has fallen into two camps.

The make it happen camp.

And the

Allow, attract, let it unfold and magically manifest camp.

As a recovering hyper-fueled, Type-A, nothing is ever good enough unless I have over-achieved person, I spend the first several decades of my life solidly in the make it happen camp. To the point of self-abuse, hollow feeling achievements, and the detriment of relationships.

I was pretty darn skeptical of that second camp which demanded more faith, trust, and willingness to embrace the unknown.

But for a while, I dove into that pool with reckless abandon, throwing caution to the wind and waiting for all those fabulous things I deserved and was worthy of to magically appear.

Needless to say that phase came with its own set of frustrations: disappointment, lost opportunities (because I was waiting for them to come to me), and diminishing financial reserves.

So which camp holds the elusive, magical, mystical answer to attracting clients, building wealth, and meaningful achievement? [Read more…]

How to Prioritize When Everything is a Priority

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Clients Rave

"I am on F-I-R-E because of you!!! Thank you Paula for encouraging me and showing me how to navigate Drop Box and Mail Chimp. Over the past three days I have mastered drop box, a non-disclosure agreement, opened my twitter account, started new Facebook promotions, created my first email campaign, and got accepted to host a workshop at an organization I have been trying to get a foot in the door for a long time! I am SO excited! Your wisdom and patience are deeply appreciated!"
Nancy Richards, Activity Pathways LLC